Renovate the house or build a small new house?

Hello.. we plan to buy a plot of land with 1600sqm area. On it stands a small farmhouse with a large barn. It costs 25,000 euros, and in the house everything would have to be done, heating, windows, electricity, floors, roof, etc., the barn would have to be covered and the gable walls newly built. Everyone advises against it because the hidden costs will be high, now we have considered tearing it down and building a small house new. Can you roughly say what a modest house with own labor would cost? Are there prefab houses that fit into the village image? Best regards mia08

That is generally not so easy to answer. It depends on the construction method and the size. Depending on the construction method, I would estimate around €1300 - €1600 per m². However, the costs for demolition should not be underestimated. Mixed construction debris can also be quite expensive, and separating it is a "hell" of a job during demolition. On the other hand, renovating such an old shack is naturally also associated with unforeseeable costs. If you don’t have professional knowledge and can build without time pressure, then I would leave it. €25,000 for 1600 m² is already a very, very cheap price. In some building areas, you don’t even get 100 m² for that.